Hilary Mckay - Author

Hilary McKay won the Guardian Children's Award with her first novel, The Exiles. Her subsequent work has achieved similar recognition - The Exiles at Home won the Smarties Prize and Saffy's Angel won the Whitbread and was selected for the inaugural Booked up list. Most recently, the acclaimed Binny for Short was longlisted for the 2014 Carnegie Medal.. A graduate of Botany and Zoology from St Andrews University, Hilary now writes full-time. She lives in Derbyshire with her family.

What is your earliest childhood memory?Watching steam trains with my grandfather. He died before I was two years old, so that is a very early memory.

If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?Well, who could turn down the gift of flight? Or travel without luggage? Or a life spent following the sun? Without doubt, I would be a swallow. I realise this means a lifetime of eating flies, but I think it would be worth it.

What is your dream holiday destination?I would start at the Sangre de Cristo mountains in New Mexico and travel South through Central America, along the coast to Peru, then down through Chile across to the Falklands and on to Antarctica, which I would circumnavigate. Then I would travel North to New Zealand where I would spend a long time warming up and then across to Australia. I would spend quite a long time in Sydney and go up into the Blue Mountains (I might go sapphire hunting there) and then to the Great Barrier Reef (of course). That would be far enough for me.

What is your morning routine?Alas, I do not have a morning routine.

If you could have one special talent, what would it be?Singing, undoubtedly. That would make me the happiest. But I have a friend whose talent is languages and I envy that one very much.

Permanent RoseHilary Mckay
Hilary McKay has a brilliant ear for family dialogue as well as a
shrewd understanding of the passions of adolescence and a wickedly
sure touch about the complex ins and outs of sibling relationships.
Permanent Rose is one of the...
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Featured in:9+ readers | 11+ readersFormat: Paperback | Released 03/09/2009
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Caddy Ever AfterHilary Mckay
Written in a light and witty style the ongoing sagas of the Casson
family remain a must for that nearly teenage market and this one
sees Caddy falling in love and getting married but not to the
person everyone thinks. ...
Lovereading Price: £4.79 - Saving £1.20 (20%)
Featured in:9+ readers | 11+ readersFormat: Paperback | Released 03/09/2009
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Forever RoseHilary Mckay
This is the 5th and final instalment about the Casson family which
began with Saffy's Angel. Forever Rose is both funny and touching.
The author has a deft lightness of touch that teenagers all over
will enjoy. Told over...
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Featured in:9+ readers | 11+ readersFormat: Paperback | Released 03/09/2009
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Wishing for TomorrowHilary Mckay
A new chapter to the story of Sara Crew has been cleverly crafted
by Hilary McKay who picks up the threads at Miss Minchin's after
Sara has left and, in particular, the loneliness of Sara's friend
Ermengarde who is teased...
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Featured in:9+ readersFormat: Hardback | Released 03/09/2009
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Indigo's StarsHilary Mckay
Funny and compelling with a thought-provoking ending that leaves
the reader eager for more and of course there is more. This one
stars Indigo, the only boy in the Casson family. Definitely a book
to curl up with and enjoy...
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Featured in:9+ readers | 11+ readersFormat: Paperback | Released 03/09/2009
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Saffy's AngelHilary MckayOur March 2012 Guest Editor Sally Nicholls: "I've
never written a fan letter to an author, but I came closest after
finishing Saffy's Angel. I read it while I was first trying to be a
writer myself, and I decided...
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Featured in:9+ readers | 11+ readersFormat: Paperback | Released 03/09/2009
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Forever RoseHilary Mckay
This is the 5th and final instalment about the Casson family which
began with Saffy's Angel. Forever Rose is both funny and touching.
The author has a deft lightness of touch that teenagers all over
will enjoy. Told over...
Lovereading Price: £8.79 - Saving £2.20 (20%)
Featured in:11+ readersFormat: Hardback | Released 20/09/2007
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Charlie and the Cat flapHilary Mckay
Best friends Charlie and Henry are busy planning the best
sleep-over ever. They agree they'll be no itching powder or super
soakers. Instead, they'll look for ghosts and have a midnight feast
- but things don't go according to plan....
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Featured in:7+ readersFormat: Paperback | Released 02/04/2007
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Caddy Ever AfterHilary Mckay
Written in a light and witty style the ongoing sagas of the Casson
family remain a must for that nearly teenage market and this one
sees Caddy falling in love and getting married but not to the
person everyone thinks. ...
Lovereading Price: £8.79 - Saving £2.20 (20%)
Featured in:9+ readersFormat: Hardback | Released 21/09/2006
InfoExtractBuy